1960 is Calling, and You Can Stay! (Greece 2024-01)

Are some you readers venerable enough to remember 1960? In the Theoxenia Hotel in Messolonghi, Greece, 1960 is alive and well and wants you back! It is a stunning (or bizarre) example of mid-century aesthetic. The public areas have been beautifully preserved, like a time capsule of 1960s decorating, art, stonework, and furnishings. 

Background

The Messolonghi Lagoon (from Avramidis et al., 2017)

The Theoxenia hotel is situated on a peninsula south of the western Greek city of Messolonghi. Messolonghi is off the usual tourist routes, and the city has limited hotels and restaurants. The extensive lagoons and marshes that surround the city serve as fish ponds, wildlife habitat, and salt production ponds.

The city is famous in Greek revolution history. Lord Byron and his “International” Brigade of Philellines  landed in Messolonghi in February 1824. Lord Byron died there of malaria on 19 April 1824 (Tsiamis, et al., 2015). This was probably a relapse based on much earlier infections. However, other historians believe his death may have been caused by neurosyphilis (Mellor, 2006).

Malaria was finally eradicated from Greece in the post war era when the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) introduced dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) spraying on a nationwide scale. Greece became UNRRA's largest DDT malaria program (Gardikas, 2008). 

Xenia Hotels

The Theoxenia hotel was part of the ambitious Xenia hotel program in the late-1950s and 1960s. 

When Greece emerged from the civil war in 1949, its infrastructure and road network was shattered. Hotels of any quality only existed in the major cities and at a few popular tourist sites, like Delphi and Olympia. After the war, it was clear that Greece would never be a heavy industry nation, like the Northern European countries. Therefore, tourism would need to be the economic engine to pull Greece out of poverty. The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) was re-established in 1951 and undertook the task of constructing the country’s tourist infrastructure (Fotopoulou, Monacelli, and Ferrante, 2022). Some of the staff were notable young architects, many of whom were graduates of the National Technical University of Athens. The Xenia program developed a special aesthetic identity or brand image. As a result, you could immediately identify one of the Xenia hotels when you entered a new town.

The hotels were often examples of striking mid-century architecture, with bold horizontal lines and minimal traditional exterior decorative elements. They were often situated in locations of great natural beauty or near significant archaeological remains. However, even at the time, people criticized the fact that a mid-century modern concrete building might be placed in or near a traditional Greek village with its small cottages and their centuries-old clay tile roofs. The Xenias often stood out, although, in some areas, they were designed to organically blend into the topography. (Yes, some of them were just plain ugly.)

Because of budget considerations and aesthetic design, staying in a Xenia was a modest experience. They did not offer the luxury of the big city hotels. Sometimes they had shared bathrooms and lacked central air conditioning, and an Xenia rarely had a swimming pool. 

My wife and I remember staying in Xenia hotels in the 1970s and 1980s. By then, they were tired and poorly run. I do not know if they were owned and operated by the GNTO or by private operators. We remember echoey and drafty central halls. They were smelly because people smoked inside. You needed to find out when hot water would be available. The bathrooms were designed to spray water everywhere during a shower because typically there was no enclosure shower curtain. 

The breakfasts were dismal affairs of stale white bread, a piece of pound cake, Nescafe (truly, that grotesque instant coffee), and an orange drink similar to our Tang. And this in a country renouned for its bakeries and excellent fruits! The breakfast must have been rigidly specified (x calories, y grams of carbohydrates, etc) because you received it uniformly at Xenias. 

By the late 1970s, Xenias became known as hotels to avoid. The program did not adapt to the era of mass tourism, and they were too basic to serve as boutique hotels. The discredited program finally ended in 1983. The GNTO sold or leased some of the hotels, but some are still state property, often in poor condition. Some buildings have been torn down, others abandoned and vandalized. An ignoble fate for a pioneering and ambitious program. 

Messolonghi Xenia, early 1960 (original photographer unknown; from newmoney)

Theoxenia of Messolonghi

This has been a long introduction to the background of this Xenia. We were a bit apprehensive to book a room at an Xenia ("What, one of those?"). Not to worry in this case. The building and grounds looked well maintained. The rooms in the newer hall had been revitalized and overhauled. Our room was comfortable, if not luxurious. 

Mid-century architecture, looks OK in the afternoon sun

Playing card terrazzo flooring?

The spade floor motif extends into the main hall

Restaurant view of the lagoon in the distance

Mid-century furnishings? (Not these ones.)

Wow, a Baroque couch and marble table

Glass dangle lamps and a bouncy stair. Peach color wall?

Palm trees, bougainvillea, and AstroTurf - good stuff

The architect, Ioannis Triantafyllidis 

Original art, with a tropical peasant-worker motif

Now for the real test, how was the room? 1960? Hot water available? Clean?

It's not 1960, but what is it?

Flying saucer lamps?

Checking out the marble walls

Summary

We were pleased. The Theoxenia in Messolonghi was refreshed, clean, quiet, and pretty nice. The bathroom was decent, bedding immaculately clean. The breakfast buffet was ample, if not luxurious, and the cook asked us how we like our eggs. I have seen Xenias in other towns that looked abandoned, so it is good that at least this one in Messolonghi is operating.

Notes:

Avramidis, P., Nikolaou, K., Poulos, K., Bekiari, V., and Vantarakis, A., 2017. Environmental characterization of a Mediterranean protected shallow brackish coastal aquatic system, Klisova Lagoon, Western Greece: a case study, Journal of Coastal Conservation, Vol 21(1), pp. 115-125.

Fotopoulou, A., Monacelli, A., and Ferrante, A., 2022. Post-war Modernism in Greece: The “XENIA” Construction Program for an Architecture of Tourism During the 50s–60s. 10.1007/978-3-030-76239-1_36, in Digital Modernism Heritage Lexicon (pp.853-867)

Gardikas, K., 2008. Relief Work and Malaria in Greece, 1943-1947. Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 43, No. 3, Relief in the Aftermath of War (Jul., 2008), pp. 493-508.

Mellor D., 2006. Was Byron’s terminal illness a form of neurosyphilis? Byron Journal, Vol 34, pp. 127-132

Tsiamis Costas, Piperaki Evangelia-Theophano, Kalantzis George, Poulakou-Rebelakou Effie, Tompros Nikolaos, Thalassinou Eleni, Spiliopoulou Chara, Tsakris Athanassios, 2015. Lord Byron's death: a case of late malarial relapse? Le Infezioni in Medicina, n. 3, 288-295

Informal review: Zeiss ZM Biogon 21mm ƒ/4.5 Wide-angle Lens in Olympia (Oly 16)

21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens with hood. The Leica M2 body is from 1967.

My New Biogon Lens

Dear Readers, once again, I failed to curb my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I bought a Zeiss ZM* 21mm ƒ/4.5 C Biogon lens for Leica M mount. 

Decades ago, I had a 20mm ƒ/5.6 Russar lens, a pioneering optical design from the Soviet Union. It worked well, but I sold it in the early-2000s when I was reducing my photography stuff. 

But I missed a really wide view for 35mm and had eyed this Biogon for a while. LensRentals sent an email about a 20% off sale, and they offered one of these lenses. That was too good to resist. The lens looked absolutely new, and, I assume, they seldom, if ever, rented this particular unit. After ordering a 21mm Leitz viewfinder from Tamarkin Camera, I was ready to go. (I recommend both LensRentals and Tamarin Camera for good condition equipment and honest service.)

Zeiss made two 21mm lenses for the Leica M mount, this ƒ/4.5 C (Compact) model and an ƒ/2.8 version. The C lens is a compact gem and is intended for use on film cameras. It is almost distortion-free, meaning that straight lines remain straight. It takes 46mm filters, which are larger than the 39mm filters for my other Leitz lenses. The rectangle hood clips on the outside of the lens, and if you use filters, they must be the correct 46mm diameter to fit inside the hood.   

Finally, you need a 21mm external viewfinder to see what the lens covers. The built-in finder on my M2 camera has frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, 90mm, and 135mm lenses, but it is much too inaccurate to try to guess the coverage of a 21mm lens by looking at the edges of the viewfinder. The best external finders come from Leitz (Leica), Zeiss, and Voigtlander. The Leica unit was the only one with an offset shoe such that the mounted finder does not overhang the shutter speed dial (see the photo above). 

T400CN Examples, Olympia, Washington

One October morning with misty light, I walked around downtown Olympia. Here are some examples of how this 21mm lens can take in the big picture. Please click any photo to see it enlarged.

View south on Capital Way (21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens, 1/15 sec.)

Capital Way sidewalk

Art alley parallel to 4th Avenue

Olympia Federal Savings parking lot (1/30 ƒ/5.6). Note the straight lines.

Mid-century architecture, Olympia Federal Savings bank

Olympia has a good selection of mid-century architecture. The city must have enjoyed a period of prosperity after the war, resulting in a burst of commercial construction. Some of this architecture has aged well, but some of it looks dismal.

Legion Way view west (1/30 ƒ/5.6)

Sylvester Park from Dancing Goats Coffee

Capital Way sidewalk

5th Avenue

Olympia's downtown core is grungy and dirty. I wish the city would do a serious cleaning, pressure wash the sidewalks, remove graffiti, remove the homeless, and install more effective street drains. It is disgraceful considering it is the state capital. 

Morning on East Bay

Many mornings, especially after a storm, the light on East Bay is just magic. This is my view during my morning coffee.

Fuji Acros 100 Film

Washington State Capitol (May 3, 2024)

State of Washington General Administration office building from Columbia Street SW

This 1956 office building is an example of International Style architecture, emphasizing horizontal lines and severe lack of external ornamentation. 

"The building was designed by prominent Tacoma architect, A. Gordon Lumm, in the International style distinctive for its horizontal cubical form and spare ornamentation. Its exterior minimalist appearance and interior architectural flexibility, including movable aluminum wall panels, demonstrate a growing aesthetic for modular space able to easily accommodate changing space and technology requirements."

This sounds like an early form of the cube farm. The building has been unoccupied since 2018 because the wiring, plumbing, and structure no longer meet building codes. Six years later, I do not see any work on demolition. Some planning documents state it will be replaced by a parking lot and restroom???

1970 (approx.) postcard of General Services Building.

This is a postcard from the University of Idaho's Northwest Historical Postcards Collection. The building did not look too bad back then. 

Summary

I am thrilled with my 21mm Biogon lens. It is high contrast and distortion-free. Resolution is remarkable on fine-grain film. It is compact enough to easily fit in a camera bag with the rest of the Leica kit. You need to be careful in framing to avoid converging lines, such as in the photograph of the General Services building. It is fine wide open at ƒ/4.5. You need the correct 46mm screw-in filters, but the mounts can be regular thickness (slim-mount not necessary). And you need the correct Zeiss rectangle hood. 

Summary: Highly-recommended!

* The Zeiss ZM lenses are made for use on Leica-M mount camera bodies. Most lenses are made in Japan, but a few are from Germany. Many reviewers state that the ZM lenses are as good optically as genuine Leica lenses, but are much less expensive. The 21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon that I bought is out of production, so if you want one, grab one now. 

The 50mm ƒ/1.5 Sonnar is a modern version of the classic large aperture Sonnar lens, first made a century ago. I already have one Sonnar lens, a 1962-vintage Soviet 50mm ƒ/2 Jupiter-8. These Sonnars produce a different "look" than most contemporary 50mm lenses. 

The Zeiss ZM 25mm Biogon lens has a superlative reputation. But I won't buy one, I promise...... 

(Coming soon: 21 mm scenes in Athens and Istanbul.)

Return to the Olympia Brewery (Abandoned Films 13a)

Kodak T400CN, expired 2005

The Film

Dear Readers, you may remember that in February (2024), I used some long-expired Kodak T400CN black and white film. Because it was old, I exposed it at EI=100 rather than the original 400. The results were successful, and the film is convenient because the infrared scratch tool in my Nikon Coolscan 5000 scanner cleans flaws and minor scratches. 

In preparation for an upcoming trip, I bought some more T400CN film from an eBay seller who said they had been stored in a refrigerator. I shot identical scenes at 100, 200, and 400. The roll came back really thin. The 100 frames scanned adequately, but the 200 and 400 were hopeless. I must give credit to the Coolscan scanner because it extracted so much data from the 100 frames. And having the ICE function to clean scratches and dust saves an immense amount of time.  

Results in Tumwater

Here are some more frames of the old Olympia Brewery in Tumwater. These are the 100 exposures, with minor adjustment in the brightness after scanning. 

(50mm F/2 Pentax-A lens, yellow-green filter)

35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens at ƒ/4

The back of this building was peeled off. I heard that a company removed machines, and peeling off the wall was the only way to remove large equipment. Of course, now this eyesore sits here year after year. 

Waiting for a seat (50mm ƒ/2 lens at ƒ/8)

This concrete hulk is next to Custer Way. The back, with the peeled off wall, is within sight of the historic Schmidt House, which is owned by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. The foundation built the 15-acre park along the Deschutes River waterfalls. 

Turn the corner to Capital Way. The Pacific Highway, formerly Route 99, runs over a 1938 bridge. It was decorated with Art Deco and Native American motifs. 

View of Rte 99 north over 1938 bridge. (Photograph 1951-1960, Item P40_N02, courtesy of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation)

Figure on northwest side of Capital Way (Rte 99)

Totem post, northeast side of Capital Way (Rte 99)

Former North Pacific Restaurant

The North Pacific Restaurant burned on June 25, 2024. Once popular with brewery workers, it had been unoccupied for many years. The "Cafe" in the color picture above is at the same location as the South Pacific (probably the same building). As of November 7, trucks were removing the debris and timbers. 

Factory walkways under the Rte 99 bridge

More walkways

View south past former powerhouse

Summary

This roll of T400CN had lost at least 2 stops of sensitivity compared to when it was new (ISO 400). But I think the frames of the old brewery, taken on a grey day, look fine. They have a classic vintage black and white look, a bit gritty (grungy?) with some grain. 

The frames above are from 50mm ƒ/2 and 35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lenses. I am impressed at the resolution of these modest-priced lenses (click any picture to expand it). Pentax made excellent glass in the 1970s, 1980s, and later, easily the equal of the big name companies. These mid-century lenses may not be as "sharp" as the newest optics, but does it make any difference?

Next roll: try at Exposure Index 50?

Trains Through Chehalis, Washington

Chehalis is the County Seat of Lewis County, Washington. It is south of Centralia and is overshadowed economically by the larger city. But Chehalis has a well-preserved downtown with late 1800s and early 20th century buildings. It was primarily a logging and railroad town in the late 1800s.  It also hosts the BNSF rail line, which cuts right through the center of town. 

Thundering through, get out of the way! (West Main Street, March 23, 2024, Panatomic-X film, 50mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens, yellow filter)

These enormous freight trains come thundering through town. The lights flash at the West Main Street crossing, the barrier arms swing down, and you wait. The ground starts to vibrate, and these trains roar through at 40? 50? 60 miles per hour?

Track debris

Milky Way dairy transportation company

Milky Way is the largest milk hauling company in the Pacific Northwest. One of their terminals is right next to the rail line off West Main Street.

DrinkAMugAMilkAMeal (Samsung mobile phone photo converted to black and white)

Line off Prindle Street (250mm ƒ/5.6 Sonnar lens, dark yellow filter)

Chehalis is a nice little town. The Willapa Hills bicycle trail starts here and continues west to Pe Ell. Eventually, it will be graded and paved all the way to Raymond. I need to explore Chehalis in more detail.

I took most of the photographs with a Hasselblad 501CM camera using Kodak Panatomic-X film, all frames tripod-mounted.